Jonathan Trott, coach of Afghanistan's national cricket team, has criticized the Trinidadian pitch that hosted the T20 World Cup semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan, saying that it was unfit for the occasion. The Proteas pounded Afghanistan to a record-low score of 56 runs in their semi-final match, the worst ever scored by an opponent in a T20 World Cup.

Not wanting to come across as "sour grapes," Trott expressed his disapproval of the track at the post-game press conference and his desire for a level playing field between the batter and the bowlers. T20 cricket, according to Trott, shouldn't be a survival game but should provide something to bowlers and hitters alike.

Former England batter Trott said, "I don't want to get myself into trouble, I don't want to come across as bitter or sour grapes but that's not the pitch that you want to have in the semi-final of the World Cup. Plain and simple. It should be a fair contest." "I'm not saying it should be flat completely with no spin and no seam movement, but you shouldn't have bets, worrying about going forward and the ball flying over your head. T20 is about attacking, scoring runs and taking wickets, not looking to survive." he added.

After finishing their Super 8s campaign with a victory over the host team West Indies in Antigua on Sunday, South Africa got an additional day to get ready for the match.

Trott said: "Playing the last group game and then playing the first semi-final isn't ideal - travelling and not really having, a day off if you like. But that's not a reason we didn't win."

"We knew the schedule, so that's not an excuse as such. In tournaments you can't have everything your own way, you've got to fight and play against the odds. We have done that at times and I'm very proud of that."

In addition to beating New Zealand and Australia, Afghanistan had a fantastic campaign overall. Trott said that Afghanistan's crushing defeat at the hands of South Africa will not "define" their recent performance.

Being positive Trott concluded, "This one performance doesn't necessarily define the tournament, but it also gives us an indication of where we need to work on and what we need to get better at if we're going to be competitive more consistently. And who we can rely on, who's going to get us over the line."